Prince of Gehenna
by xxkittymexx
Summary: Lucifer's plans to merge Assiah and Gehenna are going very nicely, with the help of Shima, leader of the illuminati. Can Yukio, the Paladin, and Ryuji, who's locked in Gehenna, save Assiah? And will Rin, a demon from Gehenna, be an ally or a foe? Slight spoilers for the manga. Inspired from when Rin calls Bon "Princess Ryuji" in the Impure King Arc. RyujixRin and ShimaxYukio
1. Prologue

**A/N: I know, I know, I need to be working on my other story... but I just couldn't help it! Blame the plot bunnies!**

**The characters may be seem OOC, but bear in mind that this is an AU so they have all had different upbringings than in the manga. Their normal personalities will come through later on. (That should make it obvious that I do not own Ao No Exorcist)**

**On a side note, I hope I know the setting well enough to do this. Please correct me if you notice any errors.**

Long robes were draped around the blue-haired boy's shoulders. Boots were slipped onto his smooth feet and the laces were tied by scaled hand-like appendages. Nimble fingers played with a sword hilt impatiently.

A figure strode into the room, face hidden by a mask. "Are you ready, my Lord?" the figure asked, kicking a small demon aside. Coal tars floated all around as the boy grinned widely.

"I was born ready," Rin replied.

* * *

"Demonic activity has been increasing lately." A man leaned in the doorway of an office, watching the boy at the desk.

The sitting youth sighed, pushing glasses up his nose almost unconsciously. Eyes underlined by dark circles darted around, looking over the surrounding paperwork. Worry lines creased his forehead, revealing the stress the boy felt. "Thank you, I am aware of that," he stated, an obvious dismissal. The man at the doorway, however, hesitated for a second.

"Um, Mr. Paladin, sir, have the moles on your face… increased?"

The glare Yukio gave in return made shivers run down the man's spine. "Get out." The man didn't hesitate again.

* * *

A long wig was slipped over bicoloured hair. Layers of frills and padding were set around a muscular chest and firm thighs. Metallic earrings were replaced with diamonds and other precious stones more befitting of a princess. Sharp features were softened by carefully done makeup.

"Are you sure you can do this?" a woman asked from the corner of the room.

"What choice do I have?" Ryuji responded, staring at his newly feminine figure. "It's time."

* * *

Fingers drummed impatiently against a countertop while narrow eyes scanned a report. A scowl covered the mouth of the dark haired boy's face. Nothing but bad news had entered the office sense they had begun their newest plan.

Yet another report was slipped under the door. The teen ignored it at first, completing his scan of the paper he was first reading. Eventually curiosity overcame him and he reluctantly picked it up. A well rehearsed hand motion almost flung the paper aside, but the name of the front caught his eye.

Addressed to Renzou Shima, it read. Hardly a second had passed before a smile began to replace the previous frown on the boy's face. _Well then, it looks like we, the Illuminati, will finally begin our long awaited plan- the opening of Gehenna Gate!_ A manic laugh burst from his lips. _FINALLY!_

* * *

Rin stared at the madness that was taking place below him. He and Lucifer stood on a ledge that overlooked all of Gehenna. Rin found himself pleased as he surveyed the discord below him. Demons were fighting everywhere. Blood and flesh flew widely. Even areas that were usually calm were filled with frenzied demons, all trying to get a look at their new prince.

An evil smirk was stretching his lips as he watched the fighting. The death that was occurring was only making Gehenna stronger. There were already enough demons and there was no room for weakness in Gehenna. Only the strongest survived, and even then only until they had outlived their usefulness. "Beautiful," Rin murmured at the spectacle.

The small noise had caught Lucifer's attention. "It is good you are pleased," he noted, "considering it will be yours soon, at least partly." Rin's eyes flicked up to Lucifer.

"I am ready." Lucifer did not smile, but his approval was obvious in the way he picked up the crown from beside him and held it over Rin's head. A deafening roar came from the crowd of watching monsters and he set it down and Rin knelt.

"Behold!" Lucifer's voice beamed out at the waiting demons. "Your new prince!" A whole new level of bloodlust took hold of the demons in the crowd, and Rin felt a touch of relief he was not in the chaos before the bloodlust began to affect him as well. He turned to Lucifer curiously, to ask what was next, but Lucifer had anticipated his question. "Now you need a queen from Assiah and then the ritual will be complete."

Rin stared as a gate to Assiah opened in front of him. He stepped through.

* * *

Ryuji walked into the ballroom. The silky sleeves of the dress brushed against his arms as he walked elegantly to the throne in front of him. He carefully controlled his features as he walked, recalling the years he had spent practicing the deception. No one had expected it to be necessary to continue the lie to this point, but he had been thoroughly trained anyway.

He reached the end of the walkway, where the Archbishop was waiting. He began talking and Ryuji stopped listening. The Coronation continued in this manner until the Archbishop stopped and Ryuji blinked back into reality. He bowed his head and allowed the Archbishop to place the crown on it. The way the man gently set it down, careful enough to not muss the wig, assured him that he had been in Ryuji's parents' confidence.

The room exploded with applause. It was only polite applause, Ryuji noted, with no real feeling to it, but he didn't take it personally. Most of his subjects were unsure about their new Queen, because they didn't know much about the boy they all thought was the Princess Ryouka. In order to keep suspicion away, he had appeared at public events before, but they were rare and he had never spoken at them. He hadn't been seen in the past four years at all, as it had been hard to keep the disguise up after he had become a teenager.

The next part of the evening would be the trickiest part yet. The servants and tutors he'd had, as well as his adopted parents themselves, had not been expecting to die so suddenly, or so young, so he had not had time to perfect his feminine voice and social etiquette. He did his best to smile at the audience chanting "Queen Ryouka," but he was tense as he struggled to hear that name as his own.

Vaguely he wondered if he had any masculine dignity left, as he stood in front of hundreds of people in a long frilly dress. He sighed when he realized he probably didn't, and never would again. Everyone expected him to be the epitome of female perfection, not the solidly built figure packed with lean muscle hidden under the ruffles and frills of the dress.

Ryuji started down he steps, a pit of anxiety building in his stomach. Before he could get even halfway down, though, the chamber exploded into blue flames.

* * *

Rin stretched leisurely as he entered the ballroom, filling the inside with his flame. "It's good to be back in Assiah," he smirked, looking at the chaos around him. A grin split his face when he saw the people screaming and panicking around him. He felt powerful from the fear he had inspired, and lashed out at the nearest human with blue flame. He almost laughed at their screams when it struck them, burning their skin. He was caught up in the madness most newly crowned demon princes experienced, causing them to forget about everything but their own desires.

His senses returned slightly as he saw a girl, standing on the steps to the throne. She wasn't screaming or running, just calmly chanting. Rin wasn't worried, it would be impossible for her to find his fatal verse. He decided to watch her for a while. He thought she was beautiful, though he knew most people would disagree. She had a strong draw and blunt features, on a face that could almost be called handsome.

She was also, however, staring daggers at him while she continued to chant. The door burst open while he stared at her, and a parade of high level exorcists rushed in, screaming about the flame of Satan. He decided it was time to go as one of the bullets came a little too close to his cheek for comfort.

He ran to the girl and grabbed her, before starting to open a gate to Gehenna. The exorcists were shouting and attacking, but none of them came close enough to stop Rin. The girl herself was struggling, and Rin found himself surprised at her strength. It wasn't enough to stop him, a demon, but it was impressive none the less. He slipped through the gate right as the exorcists got to him though the crowds of people shouting about Satan's flame. He gave one last cocky wave and shut the gate behind him.

Now that the danger was past, he took the time to closer observe the girl in his arms. She was shouting at him, in a much deeper voice than he would have expected a girl to have. It didn't bother him though, as many of the demons he lived with weren't what you would call high-pitched. In fact, Rin decided that he found the girl's voice to be soothing. He decided to tease her a little and see the effect it had on her ranting.

"You're strong for a girl," he commented. "Actually, you're strong for a human in general." The girl quieted for a second, waiting to see what he would say next. "Of course, you're still no match for a demon prince like myself. But even someone as strong as me can tell you're also quite heavy for a girl." He couldn't help the smirk that appeared when the girl's face turned red and the obscenities returned full force.

Rin eventually got bored of walking slowly to his room. The girl was probably going to give him hearing damage as well. She had done nothing but get louder and more masculine sounding as time had passed. He wondered where she had learned the colorful language she knew. Not that it was bad for a princess of Gehenna to have a large set of lungs on her or a few curses up her sleeve, but still. She also _was_ heavy, and she seemed to have a limitless supply of energy to fight him with. So he ran and quickly made it to his private quarters.

He set the girl down, and immediately she attacked him. He instantly gave off a warning flame, hot enough for her to feel the heat, but not enough to scorch her skin off. "Settle down," he said as she fell back onto the bed. "You should feel honored. I have chosen you to be the princess of Gehenna." By this point, a suspicion had been forming in Rin's mind. The feel of her body when she had jumped on him had almost confirmed it. "Though I may have to revise that plan a bit, considering the term Princess may be a bit inaccurate. Welcome, my new _prince_ of Gehenna."

Ryuji's mouth dropped open.

**A/N: Well, how is it? Worth continuing or should I just stick to First Date? I will try (keyword: try) to update them both at least once a week, but that might be hard because my laptop got taken (around ch 3 of FD) so I have to type this all up at school… in front of people…**

**Life is hard for the closet yaoi fangirl *sigh* One day the rest of the world will realize the beauty of yaoi!**

**Swampy: Dream on.**

**Kitty: Leave me and my fantasies of world domination alone!**

**Swampy: Ignore her/me/us. See you in the next installment!**


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: So I was actually hoping to do more about Rin and Bon before the Shima chapter so more about the Illuminati would be revealed, but then I decided it was an AU anyway, so I'm going to give this a shot. I apologize for the huge delay, please don't kill me! I promise it won't happen again!**

**Also, this is taking place at the same time chapter one was, but from a different perspective (sorry if it's confusing at first.)**

**Anyway...**

Shima Renzou watched the black mass with a growing sense of satisfaction. It was beautiful, and had done nothing but get bigger since it had first been opened. Eventually it would be big enough to swallow all of Assiah. A feeling of pride rose in his chest. If he succeeded, he had the chance to become a very influential figure in the new world.

Of course, this was all assuming the exorcists didn't find out. The thought of what would happen if the Illuminati's plan failed made him wince. Lucifer was not a forgiving master, and Shima had felt his wrath once before. He fingered the scars on his hip gently, feeling the raised, puckered skin and grimacing. No matter how much time passed, the pain never seemed to fully leave.

A knock on the door pulled him out of his thoughts. Gedoin stood in the doorway, his usual disturbing smile fixed on his face. "A message from Lucifer. You are needed in his room," he squeaked out, and his voice grated on Shima's already fried nerves. He sent a glare in Gedoin's direction, and the piggish man scurried away, most likely to fawn over Lucifer more.

In the darkness of the room, the moniter screen glowed brightly. Shima's brown eyes flicked quickly to the screen, once more looking at the expanding circle of darkness, before he sighed and got up. The hallway was eerily quiet, and his footsteps echoed loudly as he stepped out into it. Lucifer's summons were usually things to be feared, but recently they were worse news than usual.

It was a long walk, and every moment he got more nervous. He felt himself slowing as he reached the door. Turning and running was seeming more and more appealing, but disobeying Lucifer would bring worse consequences than anything else he could do.

The door opened a crack as he stood debating, no doubt due to Lucifer sensing his hesitation. Shima took a deep breath and pushed it open the rest of the way. Lucifer sat on a large chair at the end of a long carpet, his usual mask in place. Shima bowed low, not wanting to offend him.

"Come closer," the demon beckoned, and Shima felt a shiver run down his spine. He walked down the carpet, keeping his eyes fixed in front of him. A few feet in front of the chair paused, but Lucifer indicated for him to continue. He walked closer until he was directly in front of the chair. Lucifer stretched an arm out and brushed a strand of hair from his face.

"Shima," he practically purred, and it took all of Shima's will power not to pull away. "My youngest brother recently was initiated as the ninth prince of Gehenna, and he will likely rise to the first after the uniting of the worlds. He is probably picking a princess from Assiah as we speak."

The silence in the room was deafening. Shima stared at him, wondering how to get out of this situation. What Lucifer was implying was obvious, and he would have no choice but to comply if the demon asked outright.

Not that he had a choice now anyway. "It reminded me of how long it's been since I've been close to someone." The pale hand, speckled with disease, left Shima's hair and instead moved to his mask. Lucifer lifted the mask off, and Shima couldn't help but stare. Lucifer was attractive. Very much so.

The disease had been removed from his face, and his skin was pale and smooth. His blond hair was slicked back, one piece sticking out from the rest, marking him as a demon king. A smirk covered his face.

Shima tensed more, all his muscles tightening. Good looks aside, the demon was ruthless. Shima did not want to trap himself with Lucifer for the rest of his existence, but there was no polite way to refuse him. At least, there was no way that wouldn't lead to his own immediate death. Lucifer hated opposition, and annihilated anything that stood in his was. Brutally. His mouth opened.

"Be my queen, Renzou."

* * *

Yukio stared with horror at the mountain of paperwork on his desk. It felt as if paperwork was all he'd done since he returned to his office a week ago. He knew he should be grateful for the peace, but instead he felt on edge. Demonic activity had been on the rise until it had come to a sudden halt. Too sudden.

The previous attacks had been coming so often he hadn't had a chance to do any of his other work as a Paladin. Hence the piles of paperwork. He lifted the slim frames of his glasses and rubbed his eyes. Just when it had started looking like he was making a dent in the pile, someone had discovered another stack that had been misplaced by a lower ranking officer of the True Cross Order.

All the tightly packed words were starting to make his head spin. He sighed, and walked out of his office. He followed the familiar twists and turns of the hallway, not really paying attention as to where he was going. It didn't really surprise him when he ended up at a door that led to the garden where exorcist supplies were sold. He opened the door and stepped outside.

The fresh air and warm sun felt peaceful, and Yukio could feel the stress leaving his body. He didn't often allow himself to relax like this. In fact, he couldn't remember the last time he had visited. Shiemi had probably been missing him. The thought of the shy girl and her mother brought a smile to his face, and he thought back to his childhood.

He had never known his real parents, or even who they were. All he knew was that when he was younger, a man named Shiro Fujimoto had found him, abandoned, in the snow. Fujimoto had taken him in and raised him in the church for almost five years. He had fond memories of playing with and learning from the older man. However, another vague presence was always with them, and he pushed his mind, trying to get a clear memory of the third person.

He frowned when he couldn't, but it wasn't a new problem. He'd had to leave the church at five years old, following the death of Fujimoto. That had been an awful night, the blue night, a night when high ranking exorcists everywhere had perished, scorched from the inside out with blue flames. Yukio had been told he was inconsolable afterward, screaming about his brother. A brother who everyone firmly told him did not exist.

He didn't believe them at first, but as time passed the memory of his older brother faded more and more, until he was certain the boy had just been someone he made up. Someone who had never existed.

"Yukio?" a soft voice inquired. He opened his eyes, and found Shiemi smiling at him. "It's been a long time since you last visited. What brought you here?"

He returned the girl's smile. "Paperwork. I needed to relax." Shiemi settled down next to him.

"It's rare for you to take a break. You should do it more often. Ma was getting worried about you because we hadn't seen you in so long."

"Sorry," Yukio apologized, and he meant it. The two of them sat in silence for a few moments, feeling the tranquility of the garden. The flowers waved gently in the breeze, stalks bending ever so slightly. Buzzing insects and the chirping of birds were the only sounds in the air, so unlike the usual chaos of his life.

"You looked so calm out here." Shiemi spoke quietly. "What were you thinking about?"

"When I first came here. Do you remember me ever talking about a brother?" Yukio kept his voice low as well, not wanting to disturb the peaceful moment.

Shiemi looked at him and watched his expression carefully. "Yes."

Yukio kept his face relaxed, not wanting to seem too desperate to know more. The boy was probably no more than a figment of his imagination, but he had been more and more bothered by the not knowing as of late. "What did I say about him?" he asked nonchalantly.

Shiemi turned her head to gaze at the clouds passing by up ahead. "You said he was reckless and brave. His hair was never brushed, and he always looked mischievous. And he was always smiling. You acted as if he were your idol. But-" Shiemi broke off sharply, her face becoming troubled. "Never mind."

Yukio looked at her curiously. Her expression smoothed out after a moment and she was smiling again. "Come on, let's go see Ma." She stood out and offered her hand to Yukio. He pushed his thoughts away and grasped her hand, but he was careful not to pull to hard on the fragile girl.

They walked to the house together, and once inside Shiemi's mother grabbed him in a bone crushing hug. "Yukio! We haven't seen you in a while."

"I apologize, Ms. Moriyama," he said sincerely. She had taken him in after Fujimoto's death and he owed it to her to stop by every now and then "I'll try to visit more often."

"Would you like something to eat?" Shiemi offered, and Yukio paled. Excuses as to why he didn't bubbled up in his mind. He was settling on the best one when an exorcist burst through the door.

"Mr. Paladin, sir," the man gasped. His face was flushed ad it was evident he had been running for a long time. "Blue flames! Blue flames in the Western Kingdom!"

The Western Kingdom. The only place thought to be safe from demons other than the True Cross Academy. It was finally invaded. Yukio ran to the door and fumbled through his keys, looking for the one that would open the door to the palace. He jammed it into the keyhole and stepped through the door, now a portal to the kingdom, and slammed it behind him.

The castle was full of exorcists already, and the blue flames raged all around him. A demon stood in the middle, a crazy look in his eyes as he lashed out at everyone close to him. The princess stood chanting futilely on the steps.

Yukio watched in horror as the demon's eyes fixed on her. If the princess was killed or captured, the alliance between the True Cross Order and the kingdom would crumble. He ran forward and aimed as clearly as he could at the demon. He shot as close as he dared. The worry that he would hit the princess instead kept him from doing any damage at all.

The demon scooped the princess up as a black hole started forming next to him. Yukio pointed the gun one more time and pressed his finger to the trigger. But right before he pulled it, the demon turned to survey the room. Yukio froze. _I know those eyes_. He stared until the demon looked away and stepped into the gate.

No longer entranced by the demon's face, Yukio came back to his senses. He shot wildly at the demon's retreating back, but the gate was closed before even the first bullet reached it.

Yukio watched the chaos around him numbly as everything he knew started falling apart. The only coherent thought in his mind was, _Oh shit. More paperwork._

* * *

"I-I-" Shima stuttered, an idea popping into his head. "I don't think I'm worthy!" He closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable anger. When no blow came, he opened his eyes again and looked cautiously up at Lucifer.

The demon was staring at him, amused. "Having such loyal subjects is wonderful. What if I were to give you a task to prove yourself first?"

Shima nodded mutely. There was nothing else he could do but go along with Lucifer's plan. "Good." Lucifer smiled. "I need you to watch my youngest brother. He is half human himself, and therefore may be easily influenced by humans. Follow him, and report any suspicious behaviors to me."

Before Shima could ask any questions, Lucifer had opened a portal to Gehenna. "Now go," he commanded. Shima walked through the gate. His stomach felt queasy as he felt the realms change…

And change again as he stepped out into Assiah. He looked around, disoriented. A blue haired demon was standing in front of him. He must have opened the gate Shima had just fallen out of. _Do Gehenna Gates link? _was the last thing he had a chance to think.

A burst of pain exploded in his stomach and his vision went blurry. All he saw when he looked down was red, red, red, and then… black.

**A/N: Next update will come way, way sooner than this one! Thank you to everyone who favorited/followed/reviewed. Cookies for all of you! Stay tuned~**


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Alright, next chapter! I would like to give a huuuuuge thanks to my amazing beta reader Korrin Belle-Deamon. Her stories are awesome and you should totally check them out!**

Ryuuji gaped at the demon, waiting for him to say something else. After a few seconds of silence, Ryuuji came to the conclusion that the demon was done with talking about it. "Tha-that doesn't seem to bother you," he stuttered, wondering why he wasn't getting roasted where he stood. Most demons would kill a person as soon as it was revealed that they were deceived.

A wicked smirk crossed the blue haired demon's face. "And why would it?"

Ryuuji continued to stare stupidly at him. "I'm a male."

"And?" the demon asked, smirk in place. "You still work for my purposes." Ryuuji felt a prick of fear. What exactly did this demon have planned for him? "Don't worry too much about it," he continued, "Your main task will just be to exist.

"You could actually have a comfortable life here," the demon said, waving its arm in a sweeping gesture around the lavish room. Ryuuji's brain finally started functioning again and he took his first good look at his surroundings. It was true that the room was at least as nice as Ryuuji's room in the castle, probably even better. It definitely didn't look like something that belonged in Gehenna. The pillows on the bed even looked as if someone—maybe the demon?—had attempted to fluff them. Ryuuji shook the though off as soon as he had it, angry that he had thought the demon was capable of showing any kindness. At best, the room was a comfortable jail cell.

"However," the demon's eyes got hard suddenly as it fixed them on Ryuuji's, "Do not ever disobey me." Ryuuji stared back, and the demon was the first one to turn away. When he turned back, his blue eyes already looked more playful. "I assume you'd like some new clothes, unless you enjoy dressing like that," he said.

Ryuuji growled at the implication, and the demon laughed. He turned to the door, and Ryuuji took advantage of his distraction. Ryuuji lunged at the monster's back, slamming them both into the ground. Immediately, his writs were surrounded by shackles of blue flame, and he was flung back roughly. The demon turned to him, eyes blazing in fury.

"Then you've made your decision," he hissed. Ryuuji felt the temperature of the room rising. He gasped for breath as a combination of the corset and sudden decrease in oxygen made breathing near impossible. He fought against the darkness clouding his sight for as long as he could. As his vision slowly faded into black, he wondered vaguely what was going to happen to his kingdom now that its princess had been stolen.

* * *

Rin glared furiously at the figure on the floor in front of him. He had offered her —no, _him_—the best room in his castle and a life of luxury as Gehenna's queen. He'd even spared the man's life after discovering he'd been deceived. Even though the man hadn't been trying to make a fool out of him, most of his brothers would have been furious if they had been in Rin's place. Another surge of anger passed through him. He'd done what he could to make Gehenna seem as similar to Assiah as possible, but if the man couldn't accept that then he was done making an effort.

He made sure the boy's wig and dress were still in place before stalking over to the door and slamming it open. There was a resounding clang as it smacked into the wall, and Rin couldn't help but get a tinge of satisfaction at the way the noise echoed down the corridor. Coal tars rushed into the room, and for a few seconds all Rin could see was blackness as the small demons rushed past his face. They glanced at his princess, and Rin knew they had already started passing the information along.

"Take her to the dungeon," he snapped over his shoulder as he left the room. The coal tars buzzed in acknowledgment, and Rin knew his command was getting passed to demons that could accomplish the task he gave them. The coal tars were the main system of communication in Gehenna, at least for castle residents. They were convenient because they were everywhere, and so they could easily carry commands to anywhere in the palace. The only drawback to using them as a communication system was that they could not actually speak directly to higher level demons, though they could understand commands. To counter that, lower level demons that could understand the coal tars and could translate what they said were placed around the palace.

Rin passed several demons on his way to the main gate, and they bowed low, but he hardly registered their presence as he rushed by. The pent up fury inside him was going to burst out and it was best to do that in a place that wouldn't result in half the castle going up in flame. The hall finally opened into a large room, the heavy oak doors at the end intricately locked and barred.

Fortunately, the coal tars had already sensed his desire, and lower level demons were already in the process of unbarring the doors as Rin stalked towards them. In his haste to get out, he probably would have destroyed the wall. Blue flames were already welling up around him. In a small part of his mind he knew he shouldn't be as enraged as he was. The recent coronation had thrown his emotions out of whack.

Knowing this didn't help lessen his fury though. The acrid Gehenna air flooded into the castle as the doors creaked open. The expanse of flat desert-like land waited right outside, and Rin practically ran the last few steps. The moment he was outside he let himself be consumed by rage. Conscious thought left him, and his only goal became to destroy as much as possible.

* * *

When Rin had finally calmed down, the land was scorched. Any sparse vegetation that had been surviving before was gone, along with his anger. Now he just felt tired and drained. He turned slowly back to the castle and began the trek up to his room.

Rin considered visiting the dungeon and checking on his princess, but he didn't want to risk a repeat of what had just occurred. He needed something better to call the man though. Trudging into the castle, he commanded the coal tars to find out the princess's name.

As Rin watched them buzz, he noted idly that the amount of coal tars around the castle had increased lately. He supposed he should talk to Astaroth about that, but he'd do it later, once he had a chance to sleep. Fatigue was making all the bones in his body ache. His room felt further away than usual, and the stairs seemed to go on forever as he walked up them.

At long last, the door to his room came into view. He stumbled toward it with a relieved sigh and shoved it open. The bed lay in front of him, and he fell upon it gratefully, asleep before his head had even hit the badly fluffed pillows. The doorway fell into shadow as coal tars moved to shut the door behind him, but not before one or two of them slipped into his room to keep watch.

* * *

Ryuuji was dreaming of when he first became the princess of the Western Kingdom. He had been young, maybe three or four, and the castle had appeared huge. It was all so foreign to him that he found himself staring at everything as he was hurried through the castle. Colorful tapestries and ornate doors lined the walls, but he was being moved too quickly to get a good look at any of them. When he was eventually dragged inside a room with two kneeling figures, he was so lost that it was doubtful he could have even found his way out of the room.

"This was the only one we could find," a tense voice said, and he was dragged forward further into the room. The room itself was huge, and large bed sat in the center of the back wall. A door in the side wall was opened, and inside it lay a smaller bed surrounded by toys. The woman crouching on the floor looked up with a tear-streaked face and examined him for a moment.

"But," she began in a quiet voice, "he is a boy, isn't he?"

"He'll have to do," the maid holding his arm said. She was holding onto his wrist too tightly for comfort, but Ryuuji was too afraid to tell her and risk getting yelled at. The maid continued talking to the hunched lady. "We can find a better replacement soon enough."

At that, the woman burst into tears, and the man on the floor with her moved to comfort her. "A replacement," the woman wailed, "We're trying to replace our dead daughter!" She dissolved into sobs against that man's chest, and the maid began dragging Ryuuji out.

He tried to pull away and ask the crying women what was wrong, but the maid yanked him even harder and pulled him out the door. She shut it quickly behind them. When the people in the room were completely behind the door, she raised her arm to hit him. Little Ryuuji braced himself for the impact, and her hand barely skimmed his face before he woke up in a cold sweat.

He lay gasping as he tried to make sense of his surroundings. Rocks were digging into his back hard enough to bruise. He sat up quickly, and the places where the rocks had been ached. A tangled strand of hair flopped into his face, obscuring even the small amount he could see in the feeble lighting. He pushed it out of his face only to see a dark shape appear in front of the bars on the edge of the cell.

"Name?" the tiny demon rasped. It was too dark for Ryuuji to make out what kind it was, but even in the shadows he could tell it wasn't even remotely human looking. It was amazing it could talk at all, considering the only demons thought to be able to communicate with humans were Satan and the other kings. He kept silent, hoping it would leave.

"Name," the demon growled again, this time as a command and not a question.

"Go away," Ryuuji muttered. His voice sounded scratchy and he became aware of the soreness in his throat. There was a dripping noise coming from the corner that was beginning to drive him insane, he was shivering slightly in the chilly room. The demon stood there for a second more, before it made a strange sound and walked off. A cloud of darkness followed it, and Ryuuji guessed it was a horde of coal tars. The thought disgusted him and he quietly chanted a sutra to kill them. He waited for them to disappear, but they continued floating after the talking demon completely unaffected. Feeling unsettled, he tried again, this time louder, but the coal tars drifted out of sight before he could see if it worked.

His stomach growled and he remembered that he hadn't eaten anything since the night before his coronation. He had been strapped into a corset before he could eat, and it was tight enough to make breathing difficult, so eating had been completely out of the question. To take his mind off the hunger he folded his legs, closed his eyes, and tried to analyze the situation.

He had been kidnapped on the day he had been appointed princess of the Western Kingdom. The person—no—the monster that had captured him was a very powerful demon, one of Gehenna's demon kings. Now he was stuck here with a pissed demon and the Western Kingdom was vulnerable to both demons and itself. With the princess gone and no other royal heirs to take the throne, there would be fighting among the citizens of the kingdom over who would rule. Hopefully, Ryuuji's advisor would take over, at least for the months until Ryuuji's 18th birthday passed and he would officially become queen.

He needed to get out of Gehenna before then. If he wasn't back, the kingdom would no doubt collapse into civil war and fall apart. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes, looking over the dank cell. The walls looked solid and the bars were placed close together. There was nothing on the ground except solid concrete and the pebbles he'd been laying on. The cell didn't even have windows, and it was too dark for him to see the ceiling, but he had little hope for it providing a helpful way to escape. Even if there was no ceiling at all, he had no way to climb out.

Ryuuji got up and walked over to the bars. Resting a hand on one of them he gave it a harsh tug. The bar didn't so much as twitch. Growling in frustration, he let go and started pacing the cell.

When no ideas came to him, he walked to the bars to give them another shake. When he reached them though, he heard footsteps that were getting closer to his cell. He watched uneasily as the blue haired demon that had kidnapped him rounded the corner.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who followed, favorited, or reviewed (and especially to everyone who did all three) Prince of Gehenna. The next chapter is coming soon~ Invisible tartlets (I'm running out of ideas for this- I'm probably going to start doubling before long if I haven't already) to everyone who read the whole thing.**


	4. Chapter 3

Two large yellow eyes were staring at Rin when he woke up. Startled, he raised a hand to swat the little demon away, but he was still groggy from his sleep and the creature jumped easily out of his reach. Rin groaned as he sat up and he put a hand to the back of his head. It was pounding painfully, and his throat was parched as if he hadn't had a drink in days. He got up and walked to the door, ignoring the little demon for the time being. It was one of the races employed as messengers, and if it had an important message then it would have already given it to him.

He cracked the door open and found a small group of coal tars waiting outside it. "Water," he rasped in the most commanding tone he could muster. It sounded pathetic, even to his ears, but the coal tars began passing his demand along regardless. Satisfied that water was on its way, he turned to the little demon waiting patiently by the door. "Speak."

"Lord Mephisto Pheles is coming for a visit and will be here shortly. He requests your presence at the soonest possible time," it rattled off quickly, no doubt repeating what a higher up had told it word for word. Rin looked at it curiously.

"Did he say why?"

The demon shook its head nervously. Some of the short-tempered demon kings would kill a low-ranking messenger demon for not having an answer. Rin, however, didn't even glance at it again as he walked quickly out the door. Mephisto rarely visited Gehenna, and it was even less common for the eccentric demon to visit one of the other king's castles.

When he reached the stairs, he stared down them in disgust, once again regretting his decision to make his room at the top of the staircase. As a child, he must have been pleased by it, because he had vague memories of sliding down the banister. That had been in a happy, carefree time—a time before he knew that he was the demon prince expected to become the king of the joint worlds of Assiah and Gehenna.

He didn't remember most of his childhood, mostly because of the constant chaos. His first clear memory was of a demon being flayed alive by Lucifer after it had attempted to assassinate Rin. There had been several attempts on his life since then due to a discontent with his partially human heritage. After the first time though, Rin had learned to deal with the murderous demons himself.

He could vividly remember the smell of burning demon flesh that constantly surrounded him in his early days, and the screams as the demons' skin had visibly melted off their bones in a haze of blue.

The attacks had mostly stopped though, once he had proved his strength, and few demons outside his castle dared approach him now. He smirked as he remembered the looks of fear on the humans' faces when he abducted their "princess." The creatures in Gehenna were no longer the only ones afraid of him.

The smirk slipped off his face as he realized that he still didn't have a name for said "princess." A hobgoblin, one of Amaimon's gifts, came bobbing up the stairs with a glass of water in its hands. The hobgoblins were generally used exclusively for carrying things, as they had nimble hands and very little ability to speak.

Before it had even fully reached him, Rin grabbed the cup and gulped down the water. The aching in his head subsided slightly, and he felt much more awake. At least, he was awake enough to glare at the small demon threateningly. "I asked for the princess's name, and it has yet to be given to me. What is it?"

The hobgoblin was evidently not very bright, because its look of terror turned into one of relief when it realized it had an answer. The small demon had overheard some of the others complaining about the princess recently enough that it could still recall the name they used. "Goaway," it lisped, looking pleased with itself for remembering that small piece of information. If it hadn't been wearing such a goofy look of relief while giving such a ridiculous answer, Rin might have fried it.

As it was, he just swatted it to get it moving as he continued down the steps. A small purple curl floated into view as he neared the end of the obscenely long spiral staircase. A few steps more and the demon king's grinning face came into view over the banister.

"Good evening, Rin," Mephisto greeted him, bowing to him. A coal tar floated by Mephisto's face, and his eyes followed it as it drifted out of his field of view. "Perhaps you wouldn't mind going somewhere a little more... private?" Rin nodded in agreement, and Mephisto snapped his gloved hands together. "Eins, zwei, drei," he said, and the two of them disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Rin glanced around at his new surroundings. It was obviously Mephisto's personal room, evident in the amount of merchandise scattered about. The situation kept getting stranger. Mephisto rarely associated with the other demon kings, especially since the plan to merge the worlds was formed, so for him to bring Rin to his castle meant that what he was about to say was extremely important.

"I would love to chat, but I'm afraid this is an urgent matter," Mephisto said, confirming Rin's suspicions. "You must have noticed an increase in the coal tars floating around your castle. Have you realized why yet?" Rin shook his head. Mephisto leaned in close enough for Rin to feel his breath as he said quietly, "Astaroth is spying on you."

Rin jerked his head back in surprise. Spying on a demon prince was unheard of, as most low level demons would be killed immediately if they were suspected of such a thing, and high level demons would usually just kill the suspect or torture them for answers. Mephisto continued talking quickly. "He doesn't approve of your becoming the king of Assiah-Gehenna because of your mixed heritage. The easiest way to stop you from becoming a king would be to prove you never became a prince in the first place. As you have already satisfied all requirements except finding a princess, that's most likely what he will try to use. It is vital that you complete the final ritual of making the girl you pick your bride before 24 hours have passed since you were crowned. 21 of them have already passed."

Rin struggled to process this information. Astaroth had never shown him any hostility before, though it was true that many of the demons trying to assassinate him should have been under the control of the king of rot. He thought back to his conversations with the princess. Had there been coal tars there to witness his discovery of the princess's true identity? And how was he to convince the man to finish the ritual?

Mephisto was watching him as he considered this. "I suppose I need to get you back to the castle, and quickly. It's imperative that you take the throne, or life on Assiah is doomed." He grabbed Rin's arm and once again a puff of smoke surrounded them as Mephisto teleported them back to Rin's castle.

Rin was still getting his bearings when Mephisto gave him his usual creepy grin. "Now then, there's a limited Momoka figurine coming out today that I need to get. Auf Wiedersehen." The demon king disappeared, leaving Rin alone in the entrance hall of his castle. Even as he stood there, coal tars began floating in, reminding Rin why Mephisto had come. He immediately began walking purposefully toward the dungeon, where the princess awaited him.

When he arrived at the bottom of the dungeon steps, he slowed his stride. There was no way the princess was going to agree with what he had to do, and it wasn't the kind of thing he wanted to force on him. Rin's footsteps echoed loudly in the mostly empty dungeon. The few demons he had stationed to keep watch had fled after handing him the keys to the cells, so only he and the few prisoners remained. The princess's cell was down one more small flight of stairs, meaning that they'd be out of sight from the other prisoners.

He reached the cell and found the princess staring defiantly through the bars. His wig was slightly mussed and the dress was covered in dirt, but his eyes were burning with anger. "Let me out," he demanded.

"Aren't you feisty, Princess _GoAway_? Are you going to tell me your real name, or am I going to have to call you that for the rest of your life?" The princess growled. "Pity. I would have liked knowing your real name before doing this." Rin did his best to keep his face contemptuous, but inside he was getting increasingly nervous. If the man was this opposed to just giving his name, then how was Rin ever going to get him to agree to complete the ritual? Well, there was only one way to find out.

A wall of flame shot up around the door to the cell, and Rin unlocked the cell and stepped inside, closing the door behind him. The princess was standing a few feet from the flames, but Rin guessed it was still exceptionally hot. He admired the man's determination to escape, but he couldn't let him free. Rin walked through the flame. When he got within reach of the princess, the man punched a fist toward him. Rin dodged it easily. Fast as the man was, he was no match for a demon prince.

He put out his hands and grabbed both the princess's arms, holding them in place. The man glared at him, but he couldn't pull his arms out of Rin's grip. Rin took a deep breath and closed his eyes, then leaned forward and mashed his lips to the princess's.

* * *

Shima blinked several times, trying to figure out his surroundings. The last thing he remembered was being surrounded by flames before blacking out, and now here he was lying in a soft bed and staring at a cream colored ceiling. The face of a young woman with a nurse hat appeared above him, and he could see her lips moving. As his head cleared, he could start to make out what the nurse was saying.

"You're finally awake! I was beginning to worry. How are you feeling?" she asked.

Shima tried to sit up, but the world spun around him and he collapsed back onto the bed. "What happened to me?" he groaned.

"I'm afraid you were shot at the princess's coronation. You were brought here to the True Cross Hospital. Do you remember it at all?"

Shima shook his head, groaning again when a wave of nausea hit him. He shoved the woman out of the way and leaned over the bed so he could throw up. When he finished, he looked up and found her looking at him worriedly. "I think I'm okay now," he said, and it was true. His conversation with Lucifer and the following events were starting to come back to him, but he couldn't admit to this stranger that that was why he was at the coronation ball. Feigning ignorance, he said, "Sorry, but it appears my memory hasn't fully come back yet. Could you-" he stopped suddenly, his eyes widening.

"Wait, you said True Cross?!" The nurse nodded. Shima gaped at her before falling back onto the bed. _This could not be happening._


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: Ok. Go back to chapter two. Now read the author's note. Now you have permission to hate me and I totally deserve it. I could explain my life and all that, but I really shouldn't force you to wait even longer reading this than you already have. I give you my sincerest apologies. **

**So, in the way of the story, things have been pretty hectic (chronologically and character-wise), but hopefully this chapter will start getting things a bit more normal. Two notes on the story. Gozo is Shima's brother who hasn't been introduced yet. Please note this was written before he had a character so if later chapters contradict this I'm sorry. Another thing to note: in this story, Shima has not dyed his hair.  
**  
Yukio looked at his desk, and sunk down into his chair with a deep sigh of contentment. The pile of paperwork had actually lessened significantly since he had last seen it, due to the demon fluctuations stopping after the events at the coronation. The demons appeared to have been preparing the kidnapping for some time. Unfortunately, a new pile of paperwork about that very subject was going to be arriving soon, but he wasn't going to worry about that until it came in.

For now, he had the actual aftermath to deal with. The Western Kingdom was without an heir, and an influx of complaints were flowing in from people who were suddenly able to see demons, though fortunately it was only the minor ones that usually floated around Assiah. Several people had been severely injured from the attack, including the boy he had shot. Because he hadn't been able to change the bullets in his gun before rushing in, they had unfortunately been set to do damage to anything they hit, including people.

Every time he closed his eyes, an image of the boy lying covered in blood appeared behind his eyelids. He didn't even remember seeing the boy, as he had been transfixed by the face of the demon he'd been shooting at. He needed to visit the hospital ward, if only to ensure the boy was okay and stop some of the guilt he was feeling.

As he walked into the hospital, Sakaki, one of the nurses, walked over to him. "Can I talk to you?" she asked quietly.

Yukio nodded and followed her as she led him to a spot in the hospital outside of the patients' hearing. "There's something strange about the patient in room 17. He knew what the True Cross Order was, and when he was first carried in, some of our... more disturbed patients began screaming."

"Screaming?" inquired Yukio softly.

"About demons," she clarified, almost too quietly for Yukio to catch.

"You know what you're implying, don't you?" he asked. If the boy was connected to the demons, and had led them to the Western Kingdom, he would be put to death or, if there wasn't enough immediate evidence, he'd be put in captivity and observed for six months. It was a serious accusation.

Uncertainty flickered in the nurse's eyes. Yukio waited silently for her to reply. Finally she dropped her gaze to the ground and spoke. "No. I'm just telling you to be careful. That's all."

Yukio put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a small smile. "Thank you, I will be. She gave him a small relieved smile in return before hurrying away through the hospital doors and into the winding halls of True Cross Academy. Yukio walked slowly to room 17. What the nurse said was worrying, and he was no longer sure how to treat the boy.

The door creaked when Yukio opened it and the figure on the bed turned sharply. He looked young, only 16 or 17, not that Yukio was much older. His dark hair was a tangled mess and in sharp contrast to his pale face. Yukio winced inwardly at the sight of the white bandages wrapped around his chest and the small chunk of bile on the floor.

Yukio cleared his throat. "Good afternoon..."

"Gozo. Shima Gozo," replied Shima.

"You're a Shima?" Yukio asked, startled. It certainly explained how the boy knew what the True Cross Order was, but none of the family had been scheduled to come. "I'll contact your family immediately so they can come see you."

"No!" Shima shouted. Yukio took a step back, surprised by the sudden outburst. "I mean, I ran away. Please don't tell them I'm here." He looked at Yukio with pleading eyes. "The others are all so set on becoming high level exorcists and everyone's so stressed about Renzo's death that the atmosphere there is suffocating."

Yukio nodded thoughtfully. He had heard about Renzo's disappearance. A body had never been found, but he'd been gone long enough to finally be declared dead and Yukio knew Juzo well enough to know what Gozo said about his attitude was true. He had heard a bit about Gozo, but not too much. He knew he was the third of the Shima brothers and did have a tendency to wander. Yukio was busy keeping the order together so he couldn't spend too much time talking to lower ranked exorcists on a personal level, especially if they where never in the same place. He made a mental note to check in with the Shimas about Gozo's location soon all the same.

"Won't your family be worried? Especially after what happened to Renzo?"

Shima shook his head. "I left a note saying everything was okay and that I'd rejoin them soon."

Yukio considered Shima's request. "I'll think about it. I won't have them contacted just yet. How are you feeling?"

Shima looked at him wryly. "Like I was shot."

"I'm sorry about that," Yukio said, once again feeling a prick of guilt. "However, I need to ask you what you remember about last night."

"Not much," Shima replied quickly. Too quickly.

Yukio kept his expression carefully neutral as he began probing deeper. "Do you remember where you were and why you were there?"

"Not really. I've been wandering for a long time and I think I must have hit my head when I fell." Shima looked at him earnestly. Maybe if I had a few days to rest I'd remember."

A sigh slipped out of Yukio's lips as he gave up. Shima wasn't going to give anything away today. "Alright. I'll come see you tomorrow as well. Have a nice rest." He felt Shima's eyes on his back until he shut the door behind him.

* * *

Ryuji nearly passed out when he felt the demon kiss him. He tried to shove at the demon's chest to push him away, but the demon held his arms firmly to his sides. It felt disgusting, kissing a demon, and a male one at that. Something slimy brushed at his lips. Ryuji shuddered at the feeling of the demon's tongue and kept his mouth firmly closed.

The demon growled low in his throat and the hands holding Ryuji's arms became unbearably hot. Ryuji opened his mouth slightly to cry out and the demon took advantage, thrusting his tongue into the small gap and sucking one of Ryuji's lips into his mouth before biting down hard. The indignant noise Ryuji made was abruptly cut off when he was suddenly filled with pain.

It was pain like he had never experienced before. One moment it felt like someone was ripping chunks out of his flesh and the next he could easily imagine that his bones were breaking into thousands of small splinters. The demon released his mouth and started biting other places—his neck, his arms, his hands—but the pain of the bites was minimal compared to what Ryuji's body was feeling at the same time. Each bite came with a new kind of pain. It felt like acid burns covered his skin and his lungs were filled with fire that spread to his blood, making it boil. An agonized scream filled the air and it took him a second to realize it was his own.

After what felt like an eternity, a cool and peaceful feeling started to flow through his body, starting with his mouth and gently spreading downward. His body sagged with relief and the screaming quieted. Ryuji started to open his eyes when a jolt of pain worse than the first hit him. All the damage that he had felt previously seemed to repair itself all at once, making every cell in his body hurt at once. It was over in seconds, but he was left gasping and sweating.

A blessedly cold hand brushed his forehead, and he felt a slight pull at his scalp, a feeling that he recognized as his wig being readjusted. He pressed his face into the hand and heard quiet mumbling.

"Wha-what?" he panted, still exhausted from feeling like he died several times over. His mind felt fried.

"You shouldn't have fought it so much. It would have gone faster if you had accepted me into your body thrashing didn't make things easy either."

Ryuji's eyes jolted open at that. "Accepted you into-?"

The demon cut him off. "You're mine now. It's all over for your dreams of escape. I am Rin. Now for the last time, tell me your name."

Ryuji's mouth opened without his consent and six syllables slipped out. "Suguro Ryji."

Rin smiled. "Finally."

"What the hell did you do to me?" Ryuji asked growled. "Why can you control me?!"

Rin held up one pale arm. Blood still trickled out of his wrist. "Isn't it obvious? I put my blood into you. Due to the nature of demonic kings and their consorts, I can now control you from the inside out." Ryuji looked down, sure enough, bites covered his body though most of them looked faded already and only one or two of them still bled slightly. He shifted to get a better look at the ones on his shoulder and the dress he was wearing started to slip off. All the laces had been undone.

Anger replaced surprise and Ryuji lunged at Rin. "You bastard!"

"Stop." Rin commanded, and Ryuji's body froze. His fist was stopped mid-swing along with the rest of him. "Calm down. I didn't do anything like that to you. Why would I?" He leaned close to Ryuji's ear and dropped his voice to a whisper. "Because after all, I know we're both male."

"And who's fault is that?" Ryuji shouted, or would have shouted, if he could have moved his mouth. Rin pulled his face away and stood up. "I'll let you cool down for a while. He walked out of the cell while Ryuji remained helplessly frozen on the floor.

Rin shut the door to the cell and locked it carefully, before turning away and walking down the hallway. Ryuji remained painfully crouched until finally, right before Rin walked out of sight, the demon king snapped his fingers and Ryuji toppled over.

Ryuji sat up and glared at the darkness until it was evident that nothing was coming back. Only then did he start investigating the bite marks to make sure none of them looked infected. "Filthy demon," he muttered. They all looked clean though, including the ones placed right below his hipbones. Ryuji's face flamed. He was going to kill Rin at the first chance he got.

He settled down to rest after he finished investigating the bites, wondering when, or if, Rin would think to bring him food. It wasn't until he was half asleep that he realized, when Rin asked his name, he had given a last name he didn't know he possessed.

* * *

Rin slowed once he had left Ryuji's sight. He needed food. The ritual was difficult for him too, though not as bad as it was for the human. He hadn't meant to cause the man so much pain, but he hadn't known what to do. He was new to being a demon king so he had no experience, and he hadn't thought to do certain things beforehand, like loosen the ties on the dress and corset and come up with how to leave the bites on Ryuji's chest and upper legs so Ryuji's gender wouldn't be shown to the coal tars.

Getting the blood to go in was another challenge. Ryuji had been fighting so it was hard for Rin to get enough in each bite and he'd felt guilty each time he added more. He hadn't expected Ryuji to be in that much pain. The stronger a human's willpower was, the harder it was for the blood to merge. He hadn't been able to keep in a quiet apology at the end, but fortunately Ryuji didn't appear to have heard it. Rin couldn't afford to appear weak in front of a human that mentally and physically strong, especially not if those traits were coupled with the rebelliousness he witnessed from Ryuji.

He did have to make sure Ryuji didn't get too badly damaged. The man probably needed food and a decent rest. The wounds would heal themselves within a day thanks to Rin's blood now flowing along with Ryuji's, but Ryuji would still be weak after having to endure the ritual and losing that much blood. He'd have to send some little demons down to check on him, and maybe move him out of the cell to a real bed once he was sleeping.

Ryuji didn't leave Rin's mind during the whole walk to his dining room, and the more Rin thought about Ryuji, the more his mind seemed to drift away from the ritual and to something else. Rin's face turned pink and he sped up again as he finally admitted to himself what it was. For a male, Ryuji sure did have an amazing body.


End file.
